Author
Mary Ware Dennett
1872-1947
Mary Ware Dennett (1872-1947) is a public-domain author available on Rivro. Read free books, explore subjects, and discover related classics.
WikipediaSubjects
Books by Mary Ware Dennett
The sex side of life : $b an explanation for young people
"The Sex Side of Life: An Explanation for Young People" by Mary Ware Dennett is a straightforward educational guide written in the early 20th century. This book serves as a rational primer on sexuality aimed specifically at adolescents, addressing the curiosity and questions young people often have about their developing sexual identities and functions. Dennett's work is significant because it seeks to replace misinformation and confusion surrounding sexual education with clear, frank discussions. In this booklet, Dennett tackles the complex aspects of human sexuality from various perspectives—physiological, emotional, and moral—aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding for young readers. She discusses how the sex organs function, the emotional joys that accompany love and intimacy, and critiques the fear-based, moralistic approaches often found in contemporary literature. With an emphasis on the importance of understanding one’s body and emotions, Dennett promotes a healthy and respectful view of sexual relationships, emphasizing that such connections should be rooted in love and mutual respect rather than shame or mere physical impulse. Through a candid exploration of these topics, the book seeks to empower young people with the knowledge they need for future relationships.
Birth control laws : $b shall we keep them, change them, or abolish them
"Birth Control Laws: Shall We Keep Them, Change Them, or Abolish Them" by Mary Ware Dennett is a public-policy treatise written in the early 20th century. It scrutinizes how U.S. federal and state statutes born of “Comstockery” restrict access to contraceptive information, and weighs whether these laws should be retained, modified, or repealed. The work maps the legal framework, recounts its origins, and considers practical and ethical consequences for families, physicians, and public institutions. The opening of the treatise sets its scope: it will not argue the merits of birth control itself, but will examine the laws that govern access to contraceptive knowledge and how those laws should change. Dennett outlines the book’s structure and then, through vivid examples—a mother’s letter to her daughter, a doctor-to-doctor exchange, and a lawmaker’s private plea—shows how federal statutes make even basic advice a crime. She summarizes key federal provisions and parallel state measures, highlighting their conflation of contraception with obscenity and abortion, peculiar extremes like Connecticut’s ban on use, and New York’s narrow medical carveout that enabled a clinic. The author defines birth control as prevention of conception (not abortion), exposes the absurdity of criminalizing knowledge but not its use, and illustrates distribution barriers that persist even in states without explicit bans, as seen in the Chicago clinic fight. Turning to origins, she describes the bill’s rushed passage in Congress under Anthony Comstock’s influence, the removal of an early physician exemption, and the unique American practice of classing contraceptive science with indecency, alongside Comstock’s methods, mindset, and critics. She notes that enforcement has been sporadic and often selective—citing politicized cases and light penalties—underscoring official inconsistency and the practical unenforceability of the laws.